Previously, there have been no simple means to protect people seated at a picnic table or, the like from the sun's rays at any time of day, from the rain or wind originating from diverse directions, from bird droppings, or from other potential hazards of sitting outdoors.
Free-standing canopies only provide protection from the sun during a short period of the day and not during earlier morning and later afternoon hours when the sun is low in the sky. They provide no protection from the wind or from driving rain.
Canopies which are fastened to a structure such as a wall or a camper trailer similarly provide only limited protection from the sun and rain and no protection from wind.
Previous inventions for canopies attached to a table or chair are mostly not adjustable. The few canopies which are adjustable are impractical, difficult to install and adjust.
Prior art picnic tables in general can only be moved by being dragged along the ground or by being lifted off the ground by two or more people, both difficult to do. Additionally, most picnic tables cannot be easily adapted to be pivotable.
The following inventions were found in Prior Art:
D 279,833 07/30/85 Eberle D3/5 D 290,315 06/16/87 Swenson et. al. D6/337 4,036,244 07/19/77 Huddle 135/4R 4,096,874 06/27/78 Weatherly 135/5R 4,621,865 11/11/86 Herrera 297/184 4,724,882 02/16/88 Wang 160/69 4,915,120 04/10/90 Zjolkowskj 135/90 4,924,896 05/15/90 Carter 135/90 5,135,281 08/04/92 Pappalardo 297/184 5,215,108 06/01/93 Sprague 135/90 5,823,217 10/20/98 Rice 135/124 5,832,943 11/10/98 Johnson 135/124 6,109,280 08/29/00 Custer 135/116
Wang shows an awning with a horizontal center pivot, two flat awning sides, and a cog-driven mechanism for retraction. The height of the entire unit has a limited adjustment. Each awning side can be tilted to a limited degree. When used in combination with a picnic table or the like, each awning side would have to be quite large to overhang and protect users seated at opposite sides of the table. Wang's awning would not provide protection from wind and is probably unusable except in light wind conditions. In addition, it cannot tilt sufficiently to block the sun's rays when low in the sky or to obstruct blowing rain.
Ziolkowski shows an adjustable bonnet for lawn chairs which is impractical. If one user positions his chair to face away from the sun, the bonnet works reasonably well. However if a second person faces the first to converse, he is facing the sun, and this invention would block his view of the first user when adjusted to block the sun. Pivoting the bonnet forward also impedes the user's entry or exit from the chair. Pivoting the bonnet to a greater degree forward or backward than shown in FIG. 1 causes the bonnet to collapse together since the bows pivot closer together. If applied to a picnic table, either lengthwise or crosswise, this bonnet would impede the entry and exit of the users unless it is in the closed position on the side or end of entry or exit. To apply to a picnic table, numerous additional bows and additional covering would be necessary to protect all users from the elements and their view beyond the table would be completely obstructed by the bonnet.
Pappalardo's shade has all the disadvantages of Ziolkowski's bonnet and more. It is adjustable in only one direction. It cannot be applied to a picnic table to protect its users from the elements without numerous modifications.
Rice shows a Sunshade which has only two arrangements, assembled or disassembled, i.e. it is not adjustable. If a user needs to block the sun as it changes angles, he would have to get up and literally pick up the entire unit to change its position. If this sunshade were large enough for a picnic table to fit inside, it would certainly be cumbersome to do this.
None of the above-mentioned inventions satisfactorily meets the requirements for a canopy adjustable to a wide range of positions, or combined with a pivotable picnic table to provide unlimited positions which do not impede entry or exit.